


The Little Prince

by rei_c



Series: When Memories Live Again [2]
Category: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Genre: Cheating, Discipline, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family, Outer Space, Parent/Child Incest, Pseudo-Incest, Reincarnation, Spanking, mother knows best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 20:55:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4681166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rei_c/pseuds/rei_c
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Family dinners are the one thing Jupiter insisted on when they decided to try and become a family. Maybe that was a mistake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this prompt](http://jakink.dreamwidth.org/724.html?thread=90580#cmt90580) at the kink meme. 
> 
> This takes place approx. a year after the end of [Seraphi Abrasax's A+ Parenting](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4584753/chapters/10443027).

 

"All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it." 

"People have forgotten this truth," the fox said. "But you mustn't forget it.  
You become responsible forever for what you've tamed."  
\--Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, _The Little Prince_  
  
  
  


It takes Caine four months before he's willing to leave Jupiter alone with Balem, Kalique, and Titus, even knowing that Stinger won't let her out of his sight for a second. Jupiter thinks that he is adorable and she doesn't want Caine to leave, but apparently being assigned to her personal guard doesn't save skyjackers from being called back for special missions.

"Be safe," he tells her, wings fluttering nervously behind him. "Don't let them get away with anything." 

Jupiter laughs, reaches up and runs her hands through his hair, clasps them behind his neck and pulls him down for a kiss. "Promise," she says. "Now go and come back quickly."

"Yes, your majesty," Caine says, practically a growl, before he kisses her again -- hard enough to leave her panting through bruised lips -- and then steps back into the blue light of the anti-grav beam. 

Once Caine's out of sight, Jupiter lets out a deep breath and turns to Stinger, always one step behind her on her left. "We did decide on dinner tonight, right?"

Stinger winces even as he says, "Yes, majesty," following her as Jupiter heads back to the alcazar. "The kitchen staff are preparing the dishes you picked out." He pauses and Jupiter can hear it coming but she lets him say it as he's holding open the door for her. "Are you sure this is a good idea? It generally takes both Caine and I to keep order and without him here..." 

"Are you saying you're not man enough to deal with three whiny children?" Jupiter asks, teasing. 

"More like no one splice is enough to deal with three Abrasax heirs, majesty," Stinger says. "For tonight, it might be better to eat separately." 

Jupiter stops there, right in the middle of the hallway, guard orbs and servitants flowing around her as if she's simply a stone in the path of their ocean. She'd love to call Stinger on the splice comment but she's done so a million times before and he refuses to refer to himself as a man or person in her presence, so she goes after the only other thing she can get him on. "We have a rule in this house -- alcazar," she corrects herself before Stinger does. "What is it?" 

Stinger sighs, stands at something approaching parade rest, and looks at the ceiling. "If we're going to be a family, we're going to act like a family," he says, as if he's heard this a thousand times. He probably has. "And part of being a family is eating one meal a day together. Since everyone has different schedules, that meal will be dinner and it will be at seven o'clock, punctually. If you aren't there, you aren't family." 

Jupiter beams. "Exactly. Now, come on; Caine promised that you'd teach me that thing with the rollerblades and the gun." 

"Anti-gra--," Stinger starts to say. He stops, though, and murmurs something too quietly for Jupiter to hear, though a passing feline splice -- one of the alcazar's technicians, Jupiter thinks -- chokes on her breath and tries not to laugh. "Yes, majesty," he says. 

Thank goodness Jupiter can hear the humour in his voice because damn, the man can keep a straight face. 

\--

One part of the family dinners that Jupiter agreed to is dressing up, though she has final veto on anything she's wearing. The dress tonight is gorgeous, one she picked out a few weeks ago on a sheave with Caine looking over her shoulder. He'd liked the colour, she'd liked the fabric, and now that it's here, waiting for her to put it on, she wishes Caine hadn't left, that he could see her wear this -- and then help her take it off. 

She thinks about saving it and pulling a different dress from the closet, but Jupiter runs her hand down the simple brown cotton and feels like she's earned some comfort -- that or she'll need some, dealing with Seraphi's kids without the bolstering and admittedly threatening presence of Caine at her side.

With Kiza's help, Jupiter slides the dress on and smoothes the wrinkles out, looking in the mirror. The brown is dark enough to highlight the rare amber spark in her eyes and it seems to glow against her skin, the high collar covering up anything Titus would be likely to leer at but leaving her arms free to defend herself against Balem -- _again_ \-- if she needs to. Kalique will appreciate the detailing, as well as the length, though Jupiter knows Kalique will cluck her tongue at the lack of side-slits or the way the fabric gathers at her waist and then flares out, hiding the shape of her legs. 

"Looks good, right?" Jupiter asks, turning left, then right, studying herself in the mirror. 

"Once you get your hair done, it will," Kiza answers, the smile taking all the sharp edges out of her quick reply. "And here, put these on." 

'These' turn out to be tiger-eye and amber drop earrings as well as a matching necklace, and Jupiter groans. "But they're _heavy_ ," she says. "Can't I do something simple? Or, here's an idea, nothing at all?"

Kiza, elbows deep in Jupiter's hair, says, "Put them on," and only after a minute adds, "your majesty." It's her way of telling Jupiter to shut up and do what has to be done -- they've been working together for months now and Jupiter's cracked Kiza of the instinctual Entitled address and started calling her by name, or nickname, unless she wants to prove a point. 

Grumbling under her breath, Jupiter does as instructed, and by the time she looks back in the mirror, Kiza's got her hair pinned up and coiled around six different chopsticks the exact colour of her dress, one curl artfully falling along her cheek. 

"Titus is going to pull my hair again," Jupiter says. 

"Do what you did last time," Kiza says, "and ground him to his rooms. It's only thanks to you he's not in prison or exiled to a prison-planet right now and he knows it." 

Jupiter shakes her head, half in response and half to make sure her hair's not going to fall out in the middle of dinner. "I still can't believe I did that." 

Kiza laughs. "I still can't believe he obeyed." 

\--

Jupiter sweeps into the dining room with fifteen minutes to spare. Like usual, she's the first one, and she takes a moment to look over the table before the others arrive. The servitants have done a wonderful job with centrepieces and apparently they've decided that the family will be sitting on benches rather than chairs tonight. 

Surprised with the change, Jupiter nods and says, "It's different. I like it." 

Stinger stands back as Jupiter maneuvers onto her bench, but then takes his place right behind Jupiter once she's sitting. 

The first four months they were here on Karyai, Jupiter had tried to get Stinger to sit with them -- with her -- at every meal. Kiza and Caine both gave in but Stinger hasn't, so as much as she wants to tell him to sit his ass down and get ready to eat something, she doesn't. 

Kiza comes in next, wearing a shimmering white gown that glitters and sparkles as she sits next to Jupiter. "So," she says, one hand darting up to fix something in Jupiter's hair, "what's for dinner?" 

"Yes, mother," Titus says. He enters, gives Jupiter a kiss on the cheek that lingers _just_ a moment past propriety, and then takes the bench at Jupiter's left, pulling one foot up onto the bench. "What _is_ for dinner?" 

"The more you call me that, the more I _seriously_ wonder if you were thinking of consummating our marriage and what that says about the relationship you had with Seraphi," Jupiter says, rolling her eyes as Titus just sends a sleepy-eyed smile her way. 

Kalique's entrance follows on the heels of that comment. She kisses her fingertips then places them to Jupiter's cheek as she brushes past, sitting opposite Jupiter at the other end of the table. 

"Our relationships with Seraphi were all -- " Kalique pauses there, takes a sip of the water at her place, then smiles at Jupiter, head tilted to one side, and says, "each quite _unique_." 

Kiza's hand on Jupiter's knee is the only thing keeping Jupiter from fleeing. She hadn't realised until this moment how much she depends on Caine's presence to keep her calm in the face of her gene-predecessor's children. How Seraphi dealt with them all, Jupiter doesn't know, except that she must've had a grand plan because no way were any of these three accidents. 

The alcazar intelligence starts to chime the hour. As the sixth bell rings, Balem puts his hands on Jupiter's shoulders and bends down, presses his lips to the top of her head. It's something he's been in the habit of doing since he's well enough to be up and about; Jupiter has thought about asking if he used to treat Seraphi like this, with this type of gentle care and reverence, but hasn't worked up the nerve yet. 

"Mother," Balem says, the rasp of his voice sending chills down Jupiter's veins like always. Kiza shifts next to her but doesn't say anything as Balem's fingers trace out the necklace hanging high and heavy around Jupiter's neck. "I like this one," he says. "Where did you find it?" 

Jupiter looks at Kiza to answer but Kiza shakes her head, pins her eyes on the edge of the table. "Not sure," Jupiter finally says, as Balem's long, slender fingers stroke the earrings, nails brushing the edge of Jupiter's ears. "But it matched, so." She shrugs and if that displaces Balem's hands she'll deal with Kalique's lecture about proper posture and Entitled manners later. 

Balem hums and sits to the bench on Jupiter's right, across from Titus. Jupiter studies his face, takes in the slow healing his skin has gone through, and thinks that soon enough he won't need the doctor anymore, probably won't want to stay here any longer after that. Something in her rises up, rebels against that idea, but Jupiter pushes it back and lifts her voice enough for the splices waiting in the hallway to hear her say, "Serve, please." 

\--

In retrospect, Jupiter's not sure how she was expecting this dinner to go without Caine at her side. She always expects snark and bitchy little in-fighting from the other three, subtle and not-so-subtle jostling for her attention, and the complete ignorance of Jupiter's wish to be treated as her own person and not Seraphi Reincarnate. This is worse, though. This is much, much worse. 

Kalique's in a bad mood and criticising everyone and everything she can, while Titus keeps poking and prodding at Kalique and Balem's weak spots, even as he keeps sending bedroom eyes at Kiza and Jupiter. Kiza's completely silent, not even bothering to pretend to eat, and Stinger has gone into hyper-aware soldier mode behind her, wings outstretched and ready for anything. 

Balem is -- Balem is the worst of them. Simultaneously calling Jupiter 'Mother' like it's a title and acting more like a brat than he ever does, sneering at his siblings and taunting them with every chance he gets how he gets to sit closer to 'mother,' how 'mother' spends more time with him, that 'mother' is obviously choosing food he'll like, rather than catering to Kalique or Titus's tastes. 

When Balem starts picking at Kiza, reminiscing about his mother's fondness for young, female splices, and Stinger starts literally buzzing with anger behind her, Jupiter has had enough. 

She's had _more_ than enough. 

"Kiza, Stinger, leave us," she orders, and Jupiter doesn't like using the tone of an Entitled giving orders to her servitants but she is now and she'll apologise to her friends later. 

Kiza gets up, bobs her head in a nod, and leaves with a whispered, "Queen Jupiter." 

It takes Stinger a little longer, his reluctance to leave her alone clear, but he finally says, "I'll send in a few orbs, majesty. Let me know if you need me; I'll be right outside." 

"As if _Mother_ could--" Balem says. 

Jupiter cuts him off, says, " _Balem_ ," in a tone of voice that just barely scratches the surface of how fucking pissed off at him she is. 

In the silence of the room, Titus sitting up straight for once and Kalique frozen still apart from her eyes, darting every which way, Stinger leaves and, once three guard orbs fly in, closes the door. 

It's just the three Abrasax primaries and Jupiter now, and Jupiter wastes no time in getting up, kicking her bench back a little, and hauling Balem over to her by the ridiculous collar he insists on wearing around his neck. He's off-balance and flails a little, and by the time he's steady again, Jupiter has him sprawled over her lap, feet dangling over the edge of the bench as one hand grips the cushion and the other is tight on Jupiter's thigh. 

"If you're going to act like a brat," she tells him, "then I'm going to treat you as one. And since all of you keep insisting on calling me 'Mother,' I'm going to treat you like _my_ brat." She's not sure why that affects Balem the way it does, him going entirely lax in her hold, tipping his head to the side so Jupiter can see his eyelashes flicker as he closes his eyes. 

Without another word, Jupiter brings her hand down on Balem's ass -- _hard_ , the way her mother used to when she was being a disobedient child. Balem flinches, makes a little noise and clutches Jupiter tighter. 

She swats him again and again, sixteen or seventeen times in total, until her hand is stinging and his skin has to be red under his trousers. He hasn't put up a fight, hasn't struggled or complained even once, and, not for the first time, Jupiter curses Seraphi under her breath. 

"Do you understand what you did wrong, Balem?" she asks. Her voice echoes in the silence though she didn't speak much louder than a whisper. "Do you know why I did this?" 

"I was being childish, Mother," Balem replies, just as quietly, his eyes still closed and the faintest hint of tear tracks soaking into Jupiter's dress. "And I insulted your splices." Jupiter narrows her eyes, smacks Balem again, and he whines a little before correcting himself breathlessly. "Your friend, Mother, and the commander of your guard. I didn't show proper respect." 

Jupiter grits her teeth, tries to bite back the anger she feels -- towards Balem, towards Seraphi, towards this whole entire fucked-up system, and strokes Balem's hair. "And will you do it again?" 

Balem arches into her touch, eyes still closed, and breaths, "No, Mother. Never again." 

"You owe Kiza and Stinger an apology," Jupiter says. "Now sit back down and finish dinner. No cushion on your bench and no healing, understand?" 

"Yes, Mother," Balem murmurs, and it's Jupiter's imagination that he nuzzles her -- it _is_ \-- right before he gets up. "Thank you, Mother."

Balem sits down, grimacing as he shifts, trying to find a comfortable position, and Jupiter pins her eyes on Titus and Kalique. Kalique's looking at Balem with narrowed eyes, ready to jump at his throat but Titus is watching _Jupiter_ with something that looks a lot like lust. 

"Nothing to him, Kalique," Jupiter warns, and Kalique's eyes flick to her. "We're family here. We keep our business in the family and once it happens, we move on. Don't make me put you over my knee, because I will." 

Kalique goes pale, drops her eyes and murmurs, "Yes, mother." 

"Titus, eat your dinner." 

"Yes, mother." 

The meal ends in silence.


	2. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra special little bonus even though I am Jupiter/Caine all the way (sometimes with added Stinger or Kiza). If this ends up being a series, this won't actually have happened. Fanfiction of fanfiction!

Balem apologises to Kiza after dinner with Stinger a menacing presence at his daughter's side. Jupiter's there to make sure it happens and Balem's manners are textbook-perfect as he bows over Kiza's hand and gives a flowery apology that at least sounds nice even if he doesn't really mean it, deep down. 

"Forgiveness granted, m'lord," Kiza says, and curtseys, adding, "your highness, your majesty," before practically turning around and running away. 

Stinger looks torn, trying to decide whether to go after his daughter or stay and protect his queen, but Jupiter waves him off, says, "I'll be fine. Balem's going to walk me back to my room and there're still three guard orbs following every move I make, okay? Go," and she makes little shooing gestures. 

"Thank you, majesty," Stinger says, and heads off in search of Kiza. 

"Your room is on the other side of the alcazar from the quarters you've given me," Balem notes, once it's just the two of them and the guard orbs in the hallway. 

Jupiter snorts, says, "I know. Part of your punishment." 

She knows it can't be comfortable for him to be walking, his clothes pressing against skin that was so recently smacked, but she doesn't say anything about it. Instead, she simply holds out her arm and waits for Balem to place his arm under hers, link his fingers in hers. He does and the warmth of his skin is startling, enough to send Jupiter's heart racing as he grips her hand tightly and starts walking. 

"I know that you know I'm not your mother," she says. "All three of you. So why the hell did you let me _do_ that to you? Why did Titus listen when I grounded him?" 

"I wish you could have met her," Balem says. "I think you'd be surprised just how alike you really are. Oh, Seraphi was -- could be cruel and heartless, and there's no denying the ruthless business sense she had. But we loved her, it was impossible not to, and there are times when something in your eyes or your voice is _exactly_ like hers. We all know that the capacity to act like her -- to be her -- is inside you, Jupiter." 

The use of her name makes Jupiter's throat go dry. "I'm not your damn mother," she says.

Balem looks at her, asks, "Are you sure?" 

Fuck. No, she's not sure, not at all, especially when she wonders what the hell she was thinking, pulling Balem onto her knee and smacking the ever-loving shit out of him, wonders where she got the idea and why he obeyed her, why he was so compliant to her demands. 

It felt -- it just felt right, and isn't that fucked up.

\--

Jupiter doesn't say another word until they arrive at the door to her rooms. Jupiter says her thanks and goodnights to Balem and is nearly inside before Balem asks if she'll need help getting undressed. 

Kiza's supposed to help her with this but Jupiter's not going to use her position to summon her friend when she knows Kiza needs space. Jupiter lets out a sigh, says, "Fine, come on, I want to get to bed," and doesn't wait for Balem to follow before she strides inside to her wardrobe room -- she has a whole room just for her clothes and shoes and if that's not a sign that her world's gone topsy-turvy in the last year, she doesn't know what would be. 

She stands in front of a dresser and starts pulling pins out of her hair. Nothing moves -- how did Kiza _do_ this? -- and then Balem's there, batting her hands out of the way and saying, "Let me." 

He works quickly but carefully, and three minutes later, Jupiter's hair tumbles down her back. He sets six chopsticks and what must be two dozen pins on the dresser and then digs his fingers into her scalp. 

Jupiter can't help groaning; she always has a headache after dinner and only half of it is from the weight of her hair. Usually Caine's the one to give her a head-rub but Balem is unnaturally talented at this, doesn't even ask or hesitate, pressure gentle where her head is pounding and a little harder where her hair was coiled tightly, and then he slides his thumbs down the back of her neck, to the top of her dress, and Jupiter tips her head forward before she realises what she's done. 

She tenses but Balem simply lifts his hands free and takes out one earring, then the other. He pushes Jupiter's hair over one shoulder and undoes the necklace's clasp, taking it off and adding the jewellery to the pile on the dresser. 

"I bought them for your -- Seraphi's -- birthday," Balem tells her. He plucks at the row of tiny pearl buttons running down the back of Jupiter's dress and starts unbuttoning them from the top, working his way down the collar. "Her eightieth millennium, or thereabouts. She was going through a phase at the time, browns and ambers. It explains the colour of Titus's eyes, I think."

Jupiter blinks. "She was going through a phase so she, what, engineered Titus's eyes to match?" 

Balem laughs, a soft breath of air against the exposed skin of Jupiter's neck. "She engineered every part of every one of us," he says. "From appearance to intelligence to personality." 

"She made you," Jupiter says, and why hadn't she known this before? "She had you designed? She didn't _carry_ you?" 

"Made us to her very exacting specifications," Balem says. His hands settle on Jupiter's hips and he pulls her closer, right against his body, tight enough for Jupiter to feel that he's hard. "She made Titus and Kalique for the house and the business." 

Jupiter swallows, has to lick her lips and clear her throat before she trusts herself to speak. "And you?" 

Balem's chuckle is rich and dark and so, so promising. "She made me for her," he murmurs, nuzzling the side of Jupiter's neck, tongue darting out to taste her. "Her son, her heir, her Abrasax. Hers, in every way." 

Of course. It explains so much. 

"Why did you kill her?" Jupiter asks. 

"Because she asked me to," Balem replies, and he whirls Jupiter around. She's caught off-guard, feels dizzy even as she spins to a stop facing Balem, one of his hands curling into her hair, the other a bruising grip on her hip. "I could never say no to Mother." He pauses there, leans down and says, breath of his words on Jupiter's lips, "I could never say no to you." 

And then he kisses her. 

\--

It's not the way Caine kisses her, and Jupiter responds to the pressure of Balem's lips and the stroking of his tongue for long enough to categorically state that they do not kiss at all the same way. Balem kisses her the way she never knew she wanted to be kissed, forceful at the beginning before he gives in to her, opening his mouth to her, giving himself to her. 

Jupiter pulls herself back when Balem moans in the back of his throat, takes half a dozen steps away from Balem. One hand goes to her lips, the other to her shoulder as the dress threatens to slip off. 

"You need to go," she says. Her voice sounds alien -- she is alien; who is this person looking at Balem's lips and thinking he could put them to better use, that she made them for better purposes? Something low in her belly goes tight, hot, and she's getting wet, damp in her underwear for Balem, who might as well be her _son_. "You -- I can't."

She's not sure how she expects Balem to react; she doesn't even know herself anymore. She thought maybe he'd fly into a rage or scream or start to argue with her. She had no idea that he'd drop to his knees, head dipped forward so she can't see his eyes. 

"Don't send me away, Mother," he says -- no, _begs_. "Jupiter. I'll do anything, just let me stay, please, Mother." 

Jupiter aches for Caine but she aches for the man in front of her as well. Did Seraphi feel this way every time she looked at Balem? Did Seraphi _make_ him this way on purpose? 

She should send him away. He should leave and she should lock herself in, send an FTL to Caine and use her fingers to take the ache away. Balem is on his knees, though. The last time he was on his knees before her, they fought. He tried to kill her. And yet now all she can think about is striding over there and pushing his face between her thighs because part of her knows, knows without a shadow of a doubt, how amazing it feels when Balem puts his heart and soul into eating her out. 

Jupiter takes one step closer then stops, turns away so she can't even look at Balem. "Alcazar," she says, voice lifted even though she's been told more than once that she doesn't need to do that to get the house's attention. 

A slight ding and then the alcazar's intelligence says, "How may I be of assistance, majesty?" 

"Have someone bring pyjamas for Lord Balem," she says and ignores the sound of movement behind her. "He'll be staying in my rooms tonight."

"Of course, majesty," the intelligence tells her. "At once." 

Jupiter turns, flinches when she comes face to face with Balem. 

"Thank you, Mother," he says, and the look in his eyes makes Jupiter want to pull Balem close, run her hands through his hair, coddle him and cuddle him tight for hours. 

"Go wait for your clothes," she tells him, voice tight. "And then get ready for bed. You can use the bathroom off the sitting room. I'll see you in the bedroom."

Balem's smile has Jupiter's heart skipping a beat. "Yes, Mother," he says, and leans forward to brush his lips along her cheekbone. "Thank you, Mother." 

She waits until Balem leaves, then lets the dress fall to the ground. "I am in so much trouble," she says. 

\--

Thirty minutes later, Jupiter's settling into bed and Balem is crawling in where Caine should be. They lie down, facing each other, and Balem closes his eyes, smiling. 

"What?" Jupiter asks. 

"You didn't let me in your bed very often," Balem says. "It's always such a treat, Mother." 

Jupiter opens her mouth to chastise Balem, remind him that she's not Seraphi, but she closes her mouth without saying anything. Instead, she rolls over, gives Balem her back, and says, "Sleep." 

\--

She wakes up once in the night to find their legs entwined, Balem's teeth scraping the delicate skin of her throat with every breath he takes, one of his hands under her pyjama top and cupping her breast, one of her hands under the band of his pyjama bottoms and nails pricking into the meat of his ass. 

"Huh," she says, but Jupiter makes no move to get out of the far-too-intimate position. 

"M'ther?" Balem asks, eyes opening blearily. 

Jupiter shushes him, rubs her nose against his, and says, "Nothing. Go back to sleep, my Balem."

Balem lets out a pleased noise, presses himself even tighter to Jupiter, and says, "'Kay, M'ther."

He closes his eyes and Jupiter doesn't hesitate, feels strangely like she's having an out-of-body experience as she kisses the tip of Balem's nose. "My Balem," she says again, because of course he belongs to her, she made him, had him created to be the perfect Abrasax for her.

"Always," Balem murmurs. "Yours, Mother." 

\--

He's gone when Jupiter wakes up, curled around a pillow. She lifts her head, tries to see through blurry vision if Balem's somewhere in the bedroom waiting for her to wake up, and the moment she realises she's looking for Balem and not Caine, her heart thuds and she loses her breath. 

Jupiter flops back down and then, after some consideration, lifts the pillow and presses it to her face. She thinks about screaming but it's not rage or even regret running through her veins. There's guilt, a lot of guilt, and some self-loathing, but the majority of her is torn between demanding Caine be brought back so she can lock the two of them in the bedroom for a _week_ or going to find Balem so she can throw him to the ground and ride him like she might never get the chance again. 

This is why Seraphi created Titus, Jupiter guesses, for moments like this when all Jupiter can think about is sex and the raging need to fuck with teeth and nails and blood, but even though the lines are starting to blur between her and Seraphi, they haven't blurred that much. 

Jupiter takes the pillow off, throws it haphazardly to the side, and says, "Coffee. I need coffee. Lots of coffee."

The ding of the alcazar makes Jupiter jump. "I shall inform the kitchen, majesty. Is there anything else you desire at this time?"

"A new brain," Jupiter mutters. "And a chastity belt." 

There's a pause before the alcazar says, "I am afraid I--"

Jupiter cuts the alcazar off. "No, I didn't -- a figure of speech. Um. Just coffee. And let Stinger know I'll be ready for hand-to-hand in twenty minutes."

"Of course, majesty. At once." 

Jupiter stares at the ceiling then tugs the pillow back, puts it over her face again. 

This time, she screams.


End file.
